Iran Terrorist Attack Kills Many
Kanako Mita and Lee Jay Walker
Modern Tokyo Times
Over 95 people were killed after explosions hit the memorial area of Qasem Soleimani in Iran. The attack also led to hundreds of people being injured – so the death toll might increase.
America utilized a drone strike to kill Soleimani in 2020. Naturally, to the supporters of the theocratic state of Iran, he was deemed a hero. However, not all Iranians viewed him in such a favorable light.
Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei said, “Once again, the evil and criminal enemies of the Iranian nation have created a catastrophe, bringing about the martyrdom of a large number of beloved people in Kerman.”
The Guardian reports, “The blasts occurred on the roads leading to Golzar Shohada, the Garden of Martyrs cemetery in Kerman, Suleimani’s home town. His body is buried in the cemetery along with 1,024 other people regarded as martyrs, and the site has become a place of pilgrimage for supporters of the so-called “axis of resistance” against the US and the West. Hospitals in Kerman and surrounding areas were put on alert to treat the injured.”
In several nations blighted by Sunni Islamic terrorism, they have targeted funerals to kill people. Accordingly, Islamic terrorist attacks in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Pakistan have targeted mourners and funeral processions.
Voice of America reports, “Iran has several foes who might have carried out the attack, including exile groups, militant organizations and state actors. Iran has supported Hamas in its nearly three-month war with Israel, as well as the Lebanese Shiite militia Hezbollah and Yemen’s Houthi rebels.”
The BBC reports, “Wednesday’s attack comes amid heightened tensions in the region after the deputy leader of the Iran-backed Palestinian group, Hamas, was killed in an apparent Israeli drone strike in Lebanon.”
The second blast – a tactic often used by Sunni Islamists – killed the majority of people according to Ahmad Vahid (Interior Minister of Iran).
New York Times reports, “Many Iranians, already disenchanted by their leaders, were outraged that the authorities had failed to provide adequate security for an event attended by thousands of people. Officials in the government blamed the two countries Tehran has long cast as archenemies, Israel and the United States. International intelligence experts and analysts said the attack bore the hallmarks of terrorist groups, not of Israel.”
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